Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) and plasma-enhanced atomic layer etching (PEALE) combined and performed continuously in a same reaction chamber.
Description of the Related Art
Atomic layer etching (ALE) is cyclic, self-limiting, atomic layer-level etching using an etchant gas adsorbed on a target film and reacted with excited reaction species, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/598,532 owned by the same applicant as in this application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As compared with conventional etching technology, ALE can perform precise, atomic layer-level continuous etching to form fine, narrow convex-concave patterns and may be suitable for e.g., double-patterning processes. However, productivity and controllability over directionality of etching, or the like need to be improved in order to expand ALE's application in fine etching processes in advanced semiconductor processing.
Any discussion of problems and solutions in relation to the related art has been included in this disclosure solely for the purposes of providing a context for the present invention, and should not be taken as an admission that any or all of the discussion was known at the time the invention was made.